A Very Yunalai Christmas
by Sirea the Beautiful Disaster
Summary: [One-Shot] Snuggle up with a cuppa hot cocoa and read about Yuna and Baralai's antics when it snows in Bevelle. Filled to the brim with fluffy Yunalai goodness! Please R&R, no flames from Tidus fans please.


A/N: Side-project time! I decided to write this in the spirit of the holidays. Contains plenty of Yunalai fluffy goodness, sometimes to the point of mild OOC-ness. But there's so much Tidus/Yuna fluff out there I thought us Yuna/Baralai fans deserved some too! WE HAVE RIGHTS TOO DAMMIT!

ahem As always, I do not own Final Fantasy X-2 (well, I do, but you know what I mean) or any of the characters within. Not even Baralai :(

suddenly there is a banging noise, as a bound, gagged and very frightened-looking Praetor falls out of the closet

You weren't supposed to see that... pushes Baralai back in the closet I'll deal with you later...mwaa haa haa...

End random silliness

A Very Yunalai Christmas

By: Sirea

As night turned to day in the city of Bevelle, it was discovered that the entire city had been blanketed in seven inches of soft, freshly fallen snow the night before. The citizens of the sprawling metropolis began to emerge from their homes to begin the arduous task of clearing snow from the walks and streets. The owner of a coffee shop on the corner flipped his sign to read "Open" as eager customers shuffled inside to warm themselves on their respective ways to work, the smell of fresh pastries wafting down the street.

High above the awakening city, in the highest tower of the elegant temple in the center of the city, The Praetor of New Yevon stirred in his bed. Instinctively Baralai snuggled up to his significant other, feeling her warm body in his arms. Yuna smiled at this display of affection, having been awake for the last few minutes, but way too comfortable to move. Finally, she wriggled around, pecking Baralai lightly on the lips, the kiss lazily returned by the still half-asleep Praetor. She climbed out of the large bed, shivering a little as her feet touched the cold floor.

Yuna walked over to the fireplace, adding another log to the smoldering ashes from the night before in an attempt to warm up the room. She then walked over to the large window while wrapping a large robe around her scantily clad figure, gazing out on the scenery before her. She smiled to herself, happy that the weather predictions of the last few days had proved true. She had been planning an outing with Baralai for the last week, having concluded mentally that he was way too stressed out for a 21-year-old. Affirming her plans with a nod of her head, she shed the heavy robe, letting it fall to the floor in a heap as she ran back over to the bed, taking a flying leap at the sleeping mass below the blankets.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," she cooed into his ear. Baralai complied slowly, rolling over onto his back, quite enjoying the fact that Yuna was laying on top of him, dressed nothing but a tiny silk tank-top and a pair of bikini briefs. His lips met hers in an elongated kiss; when the kiss ended several moments later, his face still hovered mere inches away from hers. "You know better than to wake me up like that," he murmured, the last cobwebs of sleep clearing from the corners of his vision as he wrapped his arms around her small frame. But before things could progress further, Yuna pushed away from him, grabbing the disheveled Praetor by the hand and dragging him out of bed.

"They'll be time for that later," she replied coyly. Her tone quickly turned to one of excitement. "C'mon, get dressed! It snowed last night!" Baralai glanced out the large windows at the far end of the room, noticing that the city had indeed been thoroughly covered in the white stuff. Yuna began rummaging through the drawers for some warmer clothes. She finally settled on a short skirt, a pair of leggings, and an oversized turtleneck sweater, before retreating to the bathroom to freshen up and get dressed.

Listening to the water run in the other room for a few moments, Baralai finally dragged himself out of bed, himself wearing nothing more than a pair of baggy pajama pants. He yawned loudly and scratched the back of his head as he made his way over to the closet, his ears perked in amusement as he heard Yuna start humming behind the bathroom door. The silver-haired man picked some clothes out of the closet and dressed rather hastily in a pair of khaki-colored pants and a green turtleneck. He slipped on his usual pair of tan boots as Yuna emerged from the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair. She sat down and laced up her own pair of knee-high boots.

"Ready?"

Baralai nodded as they finally emerged from the bedroom, grabbing their winter outerwear from the large walk-in closet by the front door. Both were equally relieved that they were practically unrecognizable under their coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. The only hint of their true identities were Baralai's tan skin and Yuna's bi-colored eyes, and her long ponytail peeking out from the bottom of her coat. Taking the private lift down from the tower, they walked the streets of Bevelle for a while, stopping at the corner coffee shop for a couple of cappucinos, per Yuna's request. As they sipped their beverages, Yuna began to divulge her plans for the day.

"I love the snow. We hardly ever get any in Besaid."

"Mmm..." Baralai made a sound of agreement as he downed the rest of his quickly-cooling beverage, dropping the empty cup in a nearby wastebasket. They walked a little longer, hand in hand, when Yuna stopped suddenly, a certain glimmer in her eye.

"So Baralai, have you ever gone ice-skating?"

Baralai eyed her suspiciously. "Yeah, once when I was eight, why...?"

Yuna's eyes lit up, but before Baralai could manage a reply, she was already hailing a taxi and pushing Baralai inside.

"Lake Macalania, please," she told the driver. The large machina lurched forward, heading towards their destination.

"But-" Baralai started to protest.

"No 'buts'!" Yuna insisted. "It'll be fun!"

Baralai knew better than to argue with her, choosing instead to look out the window for the duration of the ride, Yuna's head resting on his shoulder. The driver eyed his passengers through the rear-view mirror, a hint of recognition passing through his mind. He quickly dismissed the thought, scolding himself for thinking that the Praetor of Yevon and the High Summoner would take a taxi somewhere when they could surely have a more high-class chauffer.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the newly refurbished Lake Macalania. Yuna stuffed a generous amount of gil into the cabbie's outstretched hand. As the taxi sped away, they both turned to face their destination. At least a hundred people had converged on the winter wonderland, skating on the smooth ice, or milling in and out of O'aka's shop with steaming cups in their hands and ice skates slung over their shoulders. The sounds of children's laughter filled the air as an occasional snowball sailed through the air, sometimes hitting it's intended target, sometimes not, much to the annoyance to the unsuspecting victim.

"It's so nice to see everyone having so much fun," Yuna noted, gazing on the scene with a contented smile.

Baralai placed his hands on her shoulders from behind. "Well, you're the one that made it possible," he whispered in her ear, making Yuna smile even wider.

"Yeah, I guess I did..."

Baralai dodged an incoming snowball as they made their way down the well-beaten path to O'aka's outpost. Entering the busy shop, they caught site of the famous merchant and his nephew, Wantz, manning the counter, handing out pairs of skates and their holiday specialty: apple-and-spice-flavored elixirs. Finally making their way to the counter, O'aka recognized the two instantly, greeting them in his unmistakable accent.

"Why, if it isn't-"

Yuna's eyes widened, silencing the eager man with a finger to her lips. "We're trying to remain, what are the words, 'in cognito'?"

"Yeah," Baralai agreed, glancing around the shop to the unaware customers.

"Ahh, I see..." O'aka decided to play along. "So what can I get you folks today?"

"We'll take two skate rentals, one women's size seven and a half, one men's size twelve."

O'aka called the sizes back to Wantz, who scurried into the back room to retrieve the skates. He reemerged with the two pairs of ice skates, handing them over to the couple. O'aka caught a look of silent desperation in Baralai's eyes as he took the skates by the laces, following the eager Yuna outside to the Lake.

After lacing up her own skates and Baralai's, since he wasn't quite sure how, Yuna glided out several meters on the icy surface, before turning around to face Baralai. "Get up!" She yelled, beckoning to him.

Baralai looked at her as though she had gone utterly mad, before getting to his feet, a little shaky, even though he was still on land. He stepped out onto the ice and pushed off. He glided one meter, then two...before his feet slipped out from underneath him and he fell face first on the frozen lake.

Yuna gasped, racing to her felled companion. She knelt beside Baralai, pulling him up from the ice into a sitting position. Baralai heard laughing, and turned around to see two little girls pointing at him, giggling. If he could have melted into the ice and became part of the lake at that point, he would have gladly done so. Yuna eventually got him up on his feet again, holding his hand as she guided him through the movements. As Baralai started to get the hang of it, he tried to keep up with Yuna as they made lap after lap around the large lake. Baralai glanced occasionally at a couple in the middle of the ice, performing elaborate lifts and spins. He silently wished he could impress Yuna with some of those moves, instead of her having to lead him around the Lake by the hand like a child.

After about half an hour, they returned to the bank of the lake unlacing their skates. Baralai was silently happy about being on solid ground again as Yuna returned their skates to O'aka.

"So, how'd it go?" O'aka asked, casting a knowing look as Baralai, who was looking at some figurines on a shelf on the wall. Obviously O'aka had been peeking out the window during their escapades.

Yuna giggled. "Better than I expected," she replied, looking lovingly at the tan-skinned man. "I think we might be back," she added with a wink.

"Well, we'll look forward to that, won't we, Wantz?" The younger man looked up from the elixir maker, quickly agreeing even though he had no idea what he was agreeing to. O'aka shook his head in exasperation, Yuna deciding to leave before the ensuing family feud began. She approached Baralai from behind, wrapping her arms round his waist.

"Let's go to the Calm Lands next!" She suggested excitedly.

"All right, I'll meet you outside. I want to, um...try one of those elixirs," he lied, turning around to face Yuna while hiding one of the small statues behind his back.

Yuna cocked an eyebrow at him curiously before complying and exiting the small shop. Baralai sighed in relief, approaching the counter to pay for the figurine. Tucking it safely in his coat pocket, he also ordered an elixir so Yuna wouldn't be suspicious. He met her outside, offering her a sip of the liquid, which he had to admit was very refreshing. He was starting to enjoy the day, even if his knees did still hurt from multiple falls on the ice.

Once the elixir was gone, he placed an arm around her waist as they started walking. "To the Calm Lands?" He asked, re-affirming the plans that she had voiced earlier.

Yuna nodded eagerly. "To the Calm Lands!"

They strolled through the Macalania Forest arm in arm, taking in the glistening scenery in silence, occasionally pointing out a particularly beautiful snow formation, or collection of icicles to each other. As they reached a certain crossroads in the forest, however, Yuna stopped, looking down one of the paths seemingly lost in thought.

"Yuna?" Baralai took her by the hand, turning her gently to face him. "What's wrong?"

Yuna looked up into his deep brown eyes, which were racked with concern. Her gaze softened as she smiled up at him.

"Oh, it's nothing, Baralai. I'm fine." She wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight embrace, taking in the simple, clean smell of his cologne as she silently thanked the fayths for giving her the chance to love again. Baralai returned the gesture by placing both his arms tightly around Yuna's shoulders, surprised by the sudden embrace, but certainly not putting up protest about it.

Yuna pulled away several minutes later, gazing up into Baralai's eyes once again. He grazed her face lightly with his gloved hand, leaning in for a kiss. But, much to his chagrin, Yuna smiled and turned away from him, leading the rest of the way to the Calm Lands in a half walk-half skip. Baralai followed her with his eyes for a minute before trudging along behind her, swearing silently that he'd never understand women.

_But I guess that's what us men like so much about them. The air of mystery,_ he thought to himself, smiling inwardly.

A few minutes later they were looking upon the vast plains. Dark dots barely recognizable as people were scattered about, pulling sleds behind them. A yellow dot mixed in here and there signified a stray chocobo, perhaps an escapee from Clasko's ranch.

Yuna suddenly broke into a run, yelling something about snow angels. Baralai tried to follow her, but she had too much of a head start, plus she had a lighter frame to her advantage, bounding effortlessly over the snow. After trying unsuccessfully to catch up to her, he decided to get her attention in a more mischievous way. He stooped down, collecting a wad of snow in his hand, shaping it into a rough sphere shape.

Yuna was still running through the powdery snow, giggling gleefully when she felt something cold and wet hit the collar of her coat. Snow dripped down her back as she froze in place, yelping in surprise. She whipped around to see Baralai, about thirty feet behind her, hiding his snow-covered hands behind his back, and innocent smile plastered on his face.

"What?" He yelled to her, trying to sound as guiltless as possible. He ducked as a snowball came sailing in his direction, missing him by several feet.

"You have terrible aim for someone who used to fire guns every day!" He shouted, fearing the retaliation that was sure to follow.

"Why you-!" Yuna charged at him, Baralai putting up little of a struggle as she tackled him to the ground. He playfully shoved her aside, leaving Yuna no time to prepare for the handful of snow that was rubbed into her face. She looked at Baralai almost incredulously, snow dripping from her face and hair.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight for that!" She joked, throwing her own handful of snow at him, succeeding in getting most of it in his face.

Wiping away the coldness from his forehead, he looked knowingly into her bi-colored eyes. "You know you shouldn't make empty threats like that," Baralai teased.

The couple continued to romp around in the snow until they were both drenched and shivering in the declining sunlight. Yuna managed to catch a couple chocobos for the ride home, something she was obviously quite skilled at but Baralai had never gotten the hang of. He started to realize just how much he was missing out on being stuck in his office all day, forcing his way through painfully long and boring meetings with stuffy old priests who probably had never had a good laugh in their lives, nevermind a beautiful woman to share it with. Baralai glanced at the woman riding the chocobo a few feet in front of him at this thought.

They finally reached the outskirts of Bevelle, hurrying down the Highbridge before they were finally in the warm confines of their bedroom. The wet clothes were immediately traded for dry, warm pajamas as they snuggled on the couch near the fireplace, silently reliving the events of the day.

Suddenly Baralai remembered the figurine he had bought Yuna at O'aka's shop earlier in the day. "Wait here, I have a surprise for you," he said as he got up, retrieving the small package from his still-damp coat pocket. He returned to the couch, handing the parcel to Yuna, who looked at it curiously for a few moments.

"What's this?" She asked, looking up at him with a stunned look on her face.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Open it."

Yuna obeyed, carefully pulling at the ribbon holding the paper together. She gasped as she held up the figurine of two ice skaters, the male figure holding the female figure above his head in a graceful lift.

"I thought I'd get you something to remember this day by. That and to remind myself that I'll never be adept enough at ice skating to even attempt that," he added, gesturing towards the two small figures in Yuna's hand.

"Oh Baralai, I could never forget today, or any other day we've spent together," Yuna declared, setting the statuette down on a nearby table. She turned to embrace her companion. She laughed softly. "You think I'd forget you that easily?" She added, gazing up at him.

A short laugh escaped Baralai's lips. "Of course not." With that, he cupped her face in his hands, their lips finally meeting for the first time since that morning. The kiss deepened slowly, Baralai pulling Yuna closer to him until she was draped across his lap, her arms, which started out around his waist, migrated around to rest on his chest. With a couple of quick pecks Baralai ended the kiss, getting up suddenly.

"Where are you going?" Yuna asked, slightly disappointed.

"I'm not going anywhere. However, you are." He responded by picking Yuna up in his arms, carrying her over to the bed. Placing her down gently, he laid down next to her, propped up on one elbow, while his free hand stroked her hair gently.

"I remember you saying this morning that we'd have plenty of time for this 'later...'" He trailed off, planting soft kisses down the side of her face and neck. "Is it 'later' now?" He breathed into her ear, nibbling at her soft earlobe.

Yuna giggled softly, placing her hands on the back of his neck as she pulled his face to hers, initiating a deep, passionate kiss. The fire crackled on the other side of the room, seeming to echo the actions occurring in the bed several meters away. Before succumbing completely to the throes of passion, Baralai looked down at this beautiful woman he was lucky enough to be in bed with, whispering three sacred words to her.

"_I love you, Yuna..."_

_"I love you too, Baralai..."_

There were no more words after that.

"And she called out a warning (Warning) / Don't ever let life pass you by..." Incubus; "Warning"

A/N: Sorry people, you'll have to wait until the later chapters of _Everything You Want _for me to divulge the juicy bits winks To clear up confusion, this is a stand-alone fic, not to be connected with the afore-mentioned work. As for the quote at the end, I happen to be listening to the song as I closed up the fic, and it seemed fitting. Not bad for my first fluff piece, eh?


End file.
